Daily Yellowstone journal., 1887-02-17
PULLING hemp.
The Experience OF . Man Who Knows
What It IL To BE Hanged.

"You may talk about mad elephants
let loose, and circus tigers on the IAN.
page, said a man from Wes ern Mlchi-
gan the other day. " but they aie no
comparison to a crowd OF angry and ex-
cited men ~hungering for your death,
-Four years ago l came into posses
sion OF three or four pieces OF property
In Southern Indiana, and I went down
to look them ove At Jasper | con-
cluded to get a saddle horse.
lone morning. almost before anybody
In the town was asst r, and whils | was
taking q before-bredkfas walk. a stranger
came along a,trlde OF a in7 animal, and
TO my query a. - VIII Their he wanted to
sell he returned u ready Affirmative.
at was a sorrel horse. spotted with
white, and one 10 be recognized and
identified on sight by Any one who had
ever seen him before. The price asked
was SIPS, and though | beat the man
dow. Ia 500 he told such a straight
story that l could have no suspicious Of
him.
"He claimed TO be a resident Of vin-
cennes, and 20 have purchased the horse
In New Albany.
II was NohPtnNhIalca W tuO NhldKtT6
on my purchase, and 500 after break
fast set of for the South.
AFTER proceeding about ten miles, I
turned to ,he left, and hal gone about
three miles when "A band OF horsemen,
about a dozen str cams ri ing from
the opposite direction ~ a gallop. The
instant We mel they surrounded me.
Some n d revolvers and some guns, and
! was menaced on all siles.
81 was aslonished. Of course. half be-
lievng | had fallen In with a band OF
robbers, but they quickly gave me to
understand o the contrary. The horse
under me had been stolen The previous
night, or at an e rly hour in the morn
Ing, anu the owner was among those
h surrounded me.
al didn't strike m that | looked
like . Lor.e tuief. but those men W re
mad anu excit d. aud they had me out
o. the saddle In II m.nute Of course l
protesteI, telling them who | was and
where / could b. Identified, but as they
hustled me under q rec and BEGAN to
no 80 a rope the owner Of the nag
slap ed INT across the face and replied /.
Smut up! You are the scoundrel,
and denials will DO OF nc avail! Well
chose the breath out. Of you In about
half a minute"
They were going to hang an inno-
cent man. and YOU can wager that | did
some Of the most vigorous kicking OF my
life.
While they were noosing me- and
running Ia free end orer u nmb, i kept
up my chiu mus q. n one OF The crowd
became haIf convinced that WAS telling
the truth. lie beam TO argue tuut IL
woul"n tsae luus % prove or dlsprove
my st.ry, bat Ia was 10 la,e.
"Five or "a men walked of wi h the
rope and Lp 4 went. lhey lrt me hang
Tor a few rcoud- AID then lowered me,
but only 10 repeat The dose twice more.
By that time Lucy had cooled OF ID Tit.
and my lrienl persuaded them thsl they
could Just a. we'll finish the LsDglng at
Jasper.
- had tainted dead away. and when
they poured whiskey down my throat
and revived me IL seemed as il my neck
was I o feet long. There was a deal OF
groNling over the JOB lot b lug finished
tnen and t,-r.. but they finally put me
on a her e ..i larted for Jaspe.
tine cnap vi whom ] had purchased
the animal, and who was. Of course. the
real thief, WAS So elated over the sale
that h folghl himself AMI renal ed in
Jasper u get drunk, He was speedily
found in a saloon. and he made no pre-
tense OF innocence.
Il thought thew woul tear him to
pieces then a Il there, b after bea ing
him to a state OF insensibility he was
carried on into the country a couple OF
miles and left hanging beside the high.
way.
II got back $50 Of my money, and as
IL was handed to me by the leader. hs
said:
Stranger, we beg pardon for stretch.
ing your neck. but next time you buy q
boss In this State be a leetle careful to
buy Of he real owner. '"-lDetroiL Free
Press.